1) Field of the Invention
The field of this invention relates to a hand held instrument which is in the shape of a conventional writing instrument such as a pen or pencil, the instrument having a tip in the shape of a tool such as a thin brush.
2) Description of the Prior Art
The subject matter of this invention has been found to be of particular utility in the dental field particularly in the manufacture of dental crowns and fixed bridges. However, it is considered to be within the scope of this invention that the instrument of the present invention could be utilized in numerous other fields. Additionally, the instrument of the present invention is described in the configuration of a brush. However, it is considered to be within the scope of this invention that the instrument could be in a configuration of numerous other tools other than a brush.
In the manufacture of dental devices, there is a need to apply a layer of porcelain material which will be applied in a liquid slurry state and then permitted to dry. The dried dental device is then baked into a solid hard configuration. It is very important that the application be smooth, precise, of constant thickness and to be attractive in appearance and not having a pattern with the appearance being smooth. It is common that, in order to achieve such a smooth, consistent and attractive application, there is utilized a small brush. It has further been found that if this small brush could be vibrated then the application of this liquid material is enhanced.
The prior art type of vibrating brush is connected by a wire to a source of electrical power. The fact that the brush has an electrical wire tethered to it significantly affects the mobility of the brush and especially in tight quartered situations where one is trying to apply an even smooth coating of material. Also, the prior art of brush is about an inch in diameter which proves to be too large to hold by a technician for any extended length of time. Further, the prior art brush is quite noisy which quickly becomes annoying to the technician. Still further, a foot is needed to operate the brush which makes the brush possibly not usable by handicapped people.
If a vibrating brush could be constructed that would not have an electrical conducting wire and this brush still had the basic overall configuration of a conventional hand held writing instrument such as a pen or pencil, then the usage of this instrument would be enhanced especially in tight quartered situations. Within the dental field, such an instrument could result in creating a most attractive dental product in the minimum amount of manufacturing time.